Chaos continues in the United Arab Emirates after it recorded its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, with some areas recording more than 250mm of rain in 24 hours, state media officials said on Wednesday.
The rains, which flooded roads, uprooted palm trees and shattered building facades, have not been seen in the Middle Eastern country since records began in 1949. Flights were cancelled, traffic was halted and schools were closed in the popular tourist destination of Dubai.
One hundred millimeters (almost 4 inches) of rain fell in just 12 hours on Tuesday – about what Dubai usually sees in a year, according to UN data.
The rain fell so hard and so fast that some motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles as floodwaters rose and roads turned into rivers.
Extreme rainfall events like this are becoming more common as the atmosphere warms due to human-induced climate change. A warmer atmosphere is able to absorb more moisture like a towel and then invite it in the form of flooding precipitation.
The weather conditions were associated with a larger storm system crossing the Arabian Peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman. This same system is also bringing unusually wet weather to nearby Oman and southeastern Iran.
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At least 18 people have died in Oman in flash floods triggered by heavy rain, the country’s National Emergency Management Committee said. According to Oman’s state news agency, schoolchildren were among the victims.
The rain continued eastward on Wednesday, hitting parts of southern Iran and Pakistan, areas that receive little rain at this time of the year. Chabahar, the southernmost city of Iran in Sistan and Baluchistan province, recorded 130 mm of rain.
